Efficacy of Electroconvulsive Therapy and Ketamine Therapy in Major Depressive Disorder; A Comparative Study

In hospitalized patients with major depressive disorder, low-dose ketamine infusions reduced depressive symptoms more quickly than electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Depressive symptoms decreased in 80.78% of patients after ketamine and in 77.78% after ECT. The study compared forty in-patients randomly assigned to either treatment, using Beck Depression Inventory scores before and after treatment cycles. The conclusion indicates that ketamine has a more rapid impact than ECT for improving depression symptoms.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and Ketamine infusions in hospitalized patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD). Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and duration of study: Armed Forces Institute of Mental Health, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Feb to Apr 2021. Methodology: Forty in-patients diagnosed as having MDD were randomly allocated ECT/Ketamine intervention as per international standards. Either group of patients acted as a control for the other. Their Beck Depressive Inventory (BDI) scores before and after the completion of treatment cycles were assessed to determine their response to treatment. Results: The Ketamine-Group showed fewer depressive symptoms than the ECT Group. The depressive symptoms were reduced in 16(80.78%) patients after Ketamine infusions, while 15(77.78%) patients showed improvement after ECT sessions.In addition, the response to Ketamine was quicker. Conclusion: This study has reported that low dose Ketamine has a more rapid impact than Electroconvulsive therapy in improving symptoms of depression in major depressive disorder patients.